First off, what projects are you working on now that you can tell us about?
I’ve just finished work on the audio version of the DC Comics story “Kingdom Come” in which I play Wonder Woman, working with my favorite director, Dirk Maggs. That’s coming out on Audible on November 18th. We’ve also just wrapped on the latest audiobook in Janet Evanovich’s Gabriela Rose series, also out in November.
How did you get started as an actress – what captivated you and where/how did it begin?
Frankly, it was all a bit accidental! I had the right look at the right time for a certain play – the director thought I looked like a German whore – make of that what you will! – and it was in the process of rehearsing and performing in front of a live audience that I fell in love with acting.
Was there a moment where you felt you “made it” and felt more secure about your acting career? Or does the profession really prevent that feeling of security (if so, how do you navigate that?)
I don’t know any actor who really feels they’ve “made it” – life for an actor can feel like one long audition! But I think that might be true for freelancers of all professions these days. I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve been able to make a living in my chosen profession for most of my life, and I love what I do – to me, that is success.
I know you spent time in Pittsburgh as a kid- but you also travelled a lot around the country as a child before settling in London – how did that influence you as an actor, seeing so much of the world?
We did move around the country a bit for my father’s work, but I was born in Pittsburgh and will always consider it home. I lived there ‘til I was 13 and still have friends and family there. I never wanted to be an actor when I was young, so I can’t say the moves influenced me much – although having lived in the south for a while does mean I can do a reasonable southern accent. In fact, it’s one of my favorite accents to work in.
What made you settle on London as your new home?
The weather, mostly. I’m kidding! It really was kind of an accident. I had intended to settle in Paris or Belgrade but landed here and just never left! And once you fall in love with someone, you’re done for.
How did your time in Pittsburgh influence you as an actress and just generally?
The great thing about spending my childhood in Pittsburgh was the easy access to art and educational experiences. Pittsburgh has always been a city of culture. Most weekends would find me taking the trolley downtown to visit the Carnegie Museum and Library – I spent hours there! And Pittsburgh was a real melting pot back then. I’m second generation American, as were most people I knew; everyone’s parents or grandparents had accents. This gave me a real appreciation not only of my own eastern European heritage, but of other cultures too. And as an actor, I’m sure exposure to all those accents didn’t hurt!
You’ve acted across the gamut of platforms – TV shows including Chef! and Cold Feet, movies like Notting Hill and Alien Covenant, audio book narration, radio shows and video games – from dramas to children’s shows. How do you change your approach across those platforms and are there formats you really enjoy the most? Why?
I like working on all those platforms, and all require slightly different techniques – though there are also surprising similarities. The film camera and the radio microphone are both ‘up close’ mediums, for example, and require a light touch and subtlety. I don’t really do visual work anymore, preferring to concentrate on voice work, but I do love working to camera. I probably like television best, as it moves fast, and – especially with comedy shows – you sometimes have a live audience.
Who were some of the people that you most enjoyed working with and why?
The person I most enjoyed working with was my late husband, Vincent Marzello. I swear, we must have looked like we belonged together – we were cast as husband and wife many times long before we were married, and we were lucky enough to work together in television drama, TV commercials, and radio. In fact, we met almost forty years ago working on a radio show, Superman on Trial, directed by Dirk Maggs, with whom I just finished working on Kingdom Come, another Superman story. It’s like coming full circle.
You’ve developed scripts for a number of shows from Chuggington to Bob the Builder. Did that come natural to you – how did you learn to become a good scriptwriter?
I started as an actor by playing characters on a few animation series. If you’re in a long-running series, you get to know the characters so well that eventually you know what they might say, the kinds of situations they might find themselves in, and so on. I was lucky that the companies I worked for were generous enough to let me give writing episodes a go, and gradually I started working more on that side of things. The script editing and development mostly started in my “year of yes”, when my new year’s resolution had been to say yes to every offer and opportunity that came along, no matter how challenging. I’m very grateful to have had the experience, and I learned a tremendous amount.
You also have a digital publishing company, Creative Content Ltd. How did that begin and tell us a bit about the company?
My business partner, Ali Muirden, was a bit ahead of her time in realizing that digital audio content, delivered to devices like phones, was going to become an even bigger phenomenon than it was. Ali is one of the best audiobook directors out there, and I had worked with her often as a narrator. She asked if I wanted to come on board with her idea for a small publishing company and (“year of yes” again!) I thought I’d be crazy not to. We concentrated on a small list, mostly business titles and some great crime fiction, and we co-wrote one of the company’s bestsellers, “Storyteller: How to be an Audio Book Narrator”. https://www.howtobeanaudiobooknarrator.com/
I love working with writers, and I learned a tremendous amount developing our list, but we are now slowly winding the company down. We both have other areas we want to concentrate on at this stage of our lives and careers. For my part, I’m pouring much more of my time and attention into charity work that is close to my heart.
Tell us about that.
I have long been a charity ambassador for Dementia UK – my husband developed young-onset dementia some years ago. I know how difficult it is to navigate everything around the disease and to get help, and I’m a huge fan of this charity and the support they provide.
But more recently I have become a trustee for The National Covid Memorial Wall – half a kilometre of painted red hearts, one for each person who died of covid in the UK, a visual representation of this country’s catastrophic loss to the disease. My husband died of covid early in the pandemic, and I have spent much of the past few years with a small group of 10 volunteers who maintain the wall, keeping the hearts from fading and adding dedications for the bereaved who can’t get to London. Earlier this year we achieved charitable status, and we are now working closely with the government and other stakeholders to ensure the permanence of this unique and important memorial.
https://www.nationalcovidmemorialwall.org/
That’s a lot of work navigating all of that – what drives that for you to stay so busy?
What drives me now is working for my beloved husband’s memory, and the memory of all those who died so suddenly, so tragically, and in such large numbers. Love is the biggest driver of all.
Lastly, are you a sports fan – and any Pittsburgh team loyalties and fan stories you can share?
Full disclosure, I don’t watch a lot of sports – but I am very tribal, and I am Steelers and Pirates ‘til I die. For me, it’s not really about the sports themselves – it’s about memory and family and community. Growing up, we’d all gather at my grandparents’ house and the men in the family – my father, my uncles, my grandfather – watched the games while we kids played and ran around, and I ‘ll never forget that feeling of closeness and belonging. In that way, sports games are more than just games – they’re a kind of social glue; I feel that very strongly.
And of course I’m the proud owner of a terrible towel! My friend Lachele, another Pittsburgh transplant living in London, couldn’t believe I didn’t have one – so she presented me with one on my last birthday. Go Stillers!